Athletics History 2 of 2

E4 | Sunday, May 10, 2020 | lmtonline.com | Laredo Morning Times 50th Anniversary done,” Weakley said. “The TAMIU student-athletes were the ones that sacrificed in practice, made the in- game plays and gave up a lot of their college experience to accomplish something special.” WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TAMIU women’s basketball has been defined by change as it’s seen the most coaching turnover of any of the school’s programs with six leaders in 17 years, and none lasting more than four seasons. Marc Garcia led the team’s inau- gural season opening with a close 72- 71 loss to Monterrey Tech in front of 800 fans on Nov. 3, 2003. The team went 14-20 that campaign and lost in the RRAC semifinals. Garcia (52-44) led the way three years and picked up a RRAC Coach of the Year award in 2005 before the school’s move to the DII level. Darrell Vincent (32- 45) and David Beaver (23-59) also coached three seasons apiece before Michelle Bento-Jackson – a former Division I coach at Santa Clara – took over during the 2012-13 cam- paign. Bento-Jackson led the team to new heights its second season with its first title, claiming the Heartland’s regular-season crown after a 19-9 re- cord and earning Coach of the Year honors. Her three seasons recording at least a .500 record is the most in program history. “We literally turned a program completely around and made history, which will always be very special to me,” Bento-Jackson said. “We creat- ed a culture that was about discipline in all areas and about hard work. In order to do this successfully, you have to have the right players. I owe everything to my players. I had an Courtesy of TAMIU TAMIU head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson guided the women’s basketball program to its first conference title in 2013-14.